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Specials: Wine Check out our specials to receive special discounts on certain products.
LABOR DAY WEEKEND SPANISH EXTRAVAGANZA FOR A LIMITED TIME YOU CAN GET UP TO 20% DISCOUNT ON A SOLID CASE OF THE FOLLOWING WINES. NOTE THAT THESE WINES COME FROM ERIC SOLOMON AND JORGE ORDONEZ, TWO OF THE BEST IMPORTERS OF SPANISH WINES THESE DAYS, AND ALL THESE WINES HAVE GREAT PRESS REVIEWS TOO. SO, COME ON DOWN AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS LABOR DAY WEEKEND SALE.
JUAN GIL 2004 Rating: 90 points RP A serious effort, the 2004 Juan Gil is fashioned from 45-year-old Mourvedre vines and is aged for 12 months in American and French oak. This rich, full-bodied, inky/purple-tinged cuvee exhibits aromas of scorched earth, blueberries, licorice, and pepper, a savory, layered texture, and remarkable opulence for a Mourvedre. Drink it over the next 3-4 years. BODEGAS LUAN EQUIS 2003 Rating: 90 points RP A custom cuvee assembled by importer Eric Solomon, this blend of 40% Bobal, 20% Merlot, and equal parts Syrah, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Tempranillo exhibits a dense ruby/purple color, full-bodied, inky, concentrated, black fruit flavors, wonderful sweetness and purity, and a heady, long finish. A big, stylish red made on the border of Yecla and La Mancha, it is undeniably a fabulous value. Drink it over the next 2-3 years. FINCA SANDOVAL 2003 Rating: 93 points RP The first releases from this modest 26-acre vineyard, planted primarily with Syrah, have all been impressive, and the 2003 appears to be the finest yet produced. Cropped at 23 hectoliters per hectare, this blend of 80% Syrah, 9% Mourvedre, 7% Bobal, and 4% Tempranillo was bottled unfiltered after an eleven month sojourn in French oak. Fortunately, there are 34,000 bottles of this beautiful, dense ruby/purple-tinged 2003. Its complex aromatics (scorched earth, sweet blackberries, freshly ground pepper, licorice, cassis, and a touch of mocha/chocolate) are followed by a full-bodied wine displaying velvety tannin, a broad, expansive mid-palate, luscious sweetness, and admirable freshness as well as definition. It is accessible enough to be drunk young, but promises to age gracefully for 7-10 years.
SIERRA CANTABRIA SPECIAL CUVEE 2001 Rating: 93 points RP Obviously a great vintage makes all the difference as evidenced by the 2001 Cuvee Especial. This unfiltered 100% Tempranillo (30-year old vines) was aged in 60% American and 40% French oak before being bottled unfiltered. A stunning value, it reveals gorgeous aromatics (graphite, cigar smoke, sweet cherries and black currants, and loamy, dusty, earthy notes), a layered, opulently textured personality, admirable purity, decent acidity, and copious freshness as well as fruit. This beauty can be drunk now or cellared for a decade or more. CASTANO SOLANERA 2002 Raiting: 90 points RP There are 20,000 cases of the 2002 Solanera, a formidably endowed, chunky, rich, chocolatey, melted licorice, blackberry and black currant-scented wine. A deep ruby/purple color is followed by a medium to full-bodied red with loads of texture, and a luscious mid-palate revealing notions of scorched earth and black fruits. It is a sizeable effort with extremely ripe tannin, something only old vine, late harvested Mourvedre can achieve. It is a custom cuvee created only for the American marketplace, so bottles sold in Europe and in the grey market will be completely different. Enjoy it over the next 2-3 years, although my instincts suggest it will last longer.
SIERRA CANTABRIA CRIANZA 2001 Rating: 92 points RP I have served friends the brilliant 2001 Crianza (98% Tempranillo and 2% Graciano) just to prove what great wine can be purchased even with a weak dollar. It is a complex, elegant, deep ruby/purple-tinged offering boasting a sweet nose of lead pencil shavings, white chocolate, blackberries, and cherries. Medium-bodied with supple tannin as well as admirable structure, definition, and ripeness, it can be enjoyed now and over the next 5-8 years. CELLER DEL ROURE LAS ALCUSSES 2003 Rating: 92 points RP The 2003 Les Alcusses (aged 12 months in French oak) is a blend of Tempranillo, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Mourvedre, and Mando, an indigenous varietal that has begun to re-emerge. This beauty boasts a dense ruby/purple color along with a fragrant display of black cherries, raspberries, currants, white flowers, and subtle background notes of wood smoke. Ripe, medium to full-bodied, and gorgeously pure with admirable elegance, palate penetration, and acidity, it is an expressive, artistic Spanish red to enjoy over the next 5-7 years.
MUGA RESERVA UNFILTERED 2001 Rating: 91 points RP Readers should be purchasing the 2001 Muga Reserva by the case. It is a stunning, unfiltered Rioja made from 70% Tempranillo, 20% Grenache, and the rest Mazuelo and Graciano. A big, rich bouquet of raspberries, cherries, graphite, and tobacco leaves is accompanied by abundant fruit, an expansive, medium to full-bodied palate, elegant, lush flavors, sweet tannin, and hints of cedar and white chocolate. This beautiful Rioja should drink well for a decade. MAS QUE VINOS ERCAVIO ROBLE 2003 Rating: 91 points RP An astonishing value, the 2003 Ercavio Roble, made from 100% Cencibel (the local term for Tempranillo), smells like a great Cabernet Sauvignon made by Napa’s Ann Colgin. Gorgeous blueberry liqueur notes intermixed with graphite and minerals jump from the glass of this dark ruby/purple-colored 2003. It boast fabulous intensity, an alluring texture, and a rich, concentrated finish with no hard edges. This offering could easily compete with wines selling at four to five times the price, but given its origins, I would suggest drinking it over the next 3-4 years. Bravo!
FINCA ALLENDE ALLENDE 2001 Rating: 93 points RP Bottled unfiltered for the USA market, the 2001 Allende exhibits a dense ruby/purple color along with a sumptuous nose of figs, black currants, blackberries, cigar box, and smoky vanilla. Full-bodied, rich, and opulent, with great purity, density, and length, it should be consumed over the next 6-7 years. PANARROZ 2003 Rating: 90 points RP A gorgeous tank-fermented and aged Spanish red, Panarroz’s deep ruby/purple-colored 2003 is a super value from Jumilla. A blend of equal parts Syrah, Mourvedre, and Grenache, it boasts a deep ruby/purple color to the rim as well as a rich perfume of pen ink, graphite, blackberries, and currants. Consume this medium-bodied, nicely textured, plump, juicy 2003 over the next 1-2 years.
NUMANTHIA TERMES 2003 Rating: 90 points RP A super bargain, the 2003 Termes enjoys malolactic fermentation in barrel and is aged 16 months in old French oak. Its dense ruby/purple hue is accompanied by sweet aromas of black fruits, charcoal, licorice, and pepper. Spicy, rich, medium to full-bodied, and exuberantly fruity, it can be enjoyed over the next 2-4 years. ARTADI VINAS DE GAIN 2003 Rating: 93 points RP This terrific winery’s 2003 Vinas de Gain is a 100% old vine Tempranillo from their high altitude vineyard sites in Rioja Alavesa. A superb entry level effort, it reminded me of the famed Pomerol, l’Evangile. Wonderful scents of black raspberries, sweet cherries, smoke, truffles, and earth soar from the glass of this dense ruby/purple-hued 2003. Ripe and elegant, with beautiful purity, superb intensity, and a long, smooth finish, it is a glorious Rioja to enjoy over the next 5-7 years.
ALTO MONCAYO ALTO MONCAYO 2003 Rating: 93 points RP The estate’s mid-level effort is the fairly priced Alto Moncayo. This wine is spectacular, and represents the perfect foil for grilled steak. The 2003 Alto Moncayo (aged in new French and American oak, and bottled unfiltered) boasts an inky/ruby/purple hue as well as a sweet perfume of blackberries and toasty oak, an opulent, fleshy, fruity palate, plenty of muscle and potency, and a long, heady, silky finish. It should drink well for 6-10 years. CELLER DE CANTONELLA CERVOLES TINTO 2003 Rating: 94 points RP Wow! What an amazing, reasonably priced wine. This 1,000-case cuvee, aged 12-14 months in French oak, from one of the appellation’s highest altitude vineyards (it borders Montsant/Priorat), is a blend of 41% Tempranillo, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Grenache, and 11% Merlot. Fabulously fragrant, with notes of crushed rock, black raspberries, blueberries, and cassis, this inky/purple-colored wine boasts great fruit, medium to full body, fabulous texture and purity, and a long, heady finish. This is a compelling as well as provocative wine to drink over the next 7-8 years.




WINE TASTING EVENTS: BOTTOMS UP, THE TASTING ROOM! Tasting room now open! Join us EVERY Saturday (excluding holiday weekends) from 1 to 4pm for complimentary wine tastings!. Check our website or stop by to inquire about future special and events.